The dark well Alexander traveled, smelled of a lingering dampness while.vieng completely dry. Still having its muck and grime from bieng once filled, a clear surface to track anything and everything that moved.
The original plan to find a way to disable the barrier had changed after finding a tunnel under the barrier. Suprisingly, in the direction of the tower.
He quickly searched the other end of the tunnel and headed back. Not wanting to leave anything to chance, he cautiously scanned everything.
'Something big comes through here frequently. The creature's steps have sunk deep in the muck, and nearly the size of a man. It would be impossible to defeat something that large in its own territory. Lets hurry and get through this tunnel, before it notices its got a guest. I don't want to join the stains on these walls.'
'Fresh marks along the network of vines and mud, it was here, but seemed to have left recently in a hurry.' Lunaris scanned.
'Acording to the residual carapace pieces, it is heavily armored and may be difficult to wound.'
Tsk!
'The cave bends up ahead so were probably near the exit. I can hear something rumbling. I want to try that new weapon, we found.'
Inside the lower floor of the tower..
A chilling fog spread itself like a blood hound, coating everything in a fine white frost. The chill permeated through to the bone and made it hard for the creature to move its joints. A huge advantage against a large creature with minimal movement.
The fauna-like sensors on its body were wilting from the extream cold, confusing and blinding the creature in some aspects.
It's vision was incomplete, it moved aggitated and confused from the events. Cold suddenly
The giant ladybug slammed into the walls like a pin ball, trying to get it's balance on the unfamiliar terrain with fuzzy vision.
The frost had added a layer of invisible ice that when infused with Nakamura's chaotic mana became very durable, allowing it to support and disable the large creature in its unbalance.
"A few swift strikes to its head should suffice to disable it." He decided.
'It would be simpler to strike heavily at its weak joints. Permanently weaking it instead of hoping you're strong enough to break it's shell.'
Nakamura skillfully used wind magic to traverse the frost, quickly arriving infront of the creature with wind at his back. Jumping above its head, he swooped down to strike.
His blade, a long Katana with an elgant aura and dangerously sharp edge, a truly powerful ancient weapon that seemed to crave battle with every edge and curve.
But, a thought creeped into Nakamura's mind while readying himself, could he cut through the creature. It's defense was stronger than he had ever come by.
A vision of his teacher making him do strikes popes into his mind. The old man would constantly told him, 'once a sword is drawn, there can be no other way till blood is drawn.'.
Within seconds two strikes, Ten, then Twenty-five strikes hit a single point on the beast's head with utmost accuracy. A flash of sparks and aura dealing a massive blow to the creature and draining Nakamura of mana.
'The sword had been drawn, and only blood will end this battle. Forgive me great creature, for hesitating when you have not. Let us finish this.'
The beast felt a shuttering of pain from Nakamura's blade, a sharp, cold, and hot feeling, that spread like poison. It reacted immediately by smashing him into the furthest pod on the wall with a great portion of its strength. It's quick movements a blur to even Nakamura's keen sight.
The impact, lessened by skills he was taught, knocked the air from his lungs and sent his vision a blur. He gasped for air, his senses went into overdrive from the adrenaline.
The sounds of the beast stepping towards him, overcoming his spell.
'You still lack foresight and power. How disappointing. Mindless beast only respond to strength.'
'Enough of your yapping, Oni. The enemy still stands before me. A tool does not dictate the architects design and you will not guide my hand. This foe is strong but I have defeated such before. He will fall as the rest have.'
Nakamura took a pill from one of the few pouches he kept on his waist, taking out a small brown orb of medical herbs pressed together, eating it without flinching.
A bitter taste overtook his senses before a cool refreshing feeling took him to new hights. The herbs in the pancea activating the mysterious power to stimulate his entire body. Even activating his mana core to an advance degree to increase his power.
Nakamuras mana quickly went through a recharge like Synergy, siphoning the ambient mana around him faster than a normal (D) Hunter, should be able to do.
A fiery and gruesome killing intent grew from Nakamura's blade at his weakened state. A bloodthirsty and hateful aura that left no room to negotiate once it was swung, a swift change from its refined and elegant aura from before. Now, it felt as thought an ancient soul had revealed its demand for blood from those around it.
Nakamura, filled with cold energy that crackled the air around him, returned to the air above the bug in one leap.
His muscles clenched as he moved to strike, cleaving down on the beast's weakened joints. The feriocity in his attacks were wild and straightforward, with large bursts of mana being realeased with each swing.
His normal practiced cuts replaced with dramatic swings and over extended jabs.
The front legs, quick to defend the head, fell first to the onslaught. Black icor poured from its wounds, sticking to the frosted areas like tiny spikeso9.
His combo continued to the next set, the main left joints falling in two strokes from his hateful blade.
The creature twitched with uncertainty as it's once impenetrable body began to fall apart. Two new feelings overcame its once focused mind, fury and desperation.
The creature, in its rage from loosing four limbs, slammed into him with enough force to break concrete. The hut was made quickly and with an instict of one on deaths door, sending him flying once more through the air into the white stone wall. His body landed heavily, unresponsive to his swords anger, unconscious in the rubble.
The bug vibrated it's twitching antennas at its attacker, zeroing in on Nakamuras location. It felt the waining of its mind, dark corners of its already distorted vision closing in with the exhaustion.
Balancing on its back legs, the black icor flowing from its four wounds hardened, turning into needle appendages. Now, with the makeshift prosthetics, it shifted it's weight forward with revenge the only thing on its mind.
The new legs shattered the frost as it began lumbering at him. Each second its large body got use to the balance untill it was over Nakamura's limp body, readying a last powerful finishing attack.
Thunk!
Two dark arrows crossed the towers floor and embedded itself through the creatures wounded head, dissolving within the wound. It staggered one last time and fell to the side, it's hardened legs dissolving into its liquid form.
"Got here just in time. Nearly lost my number one sparing partner to a bug." Alexander arrived carrying a hefty enchanted bow of rank D or possibly higher. Sweat and exhaust equal on his face as he cleared the debris from Nakamura.
'His Core and internal organs are not in danger. He seems to be in a meditative state where his mana can heal him. All scans are showing a quick recovery.
Alexander lifted him from the rubble in one go, careful not to cause more wounds. The dermal and skeletal reinforcements to his body allowed him a swifter edge, and with the strength points he placed in the system he could do this easily. His growth was really remarkable to the others. A real genius.
"I see... you said he came from the roof? Lets try that thing. It's the perfect test environment."
'Calculations are running. You have a go on the element jets. Acording to your current mana limit, we can only use them in short bursts.'
'All I heard was go.' Alexander smiled, focusing on the rising heat and mana focused on the souls of his feet.
The thrust of fire and air, blasted from the combined points on the souls of his feet, sending him through the icor and towards a pod in the air.
Fh. ZAThe magical runes worked in tandem with the perfect amount of mana and allowed simultaneous precise casting. Something that had been tried but was deemed not coast effective by the United Federal Government.
Making it back to the top, the light, beaming through to shine on the two. Nakamura healed enough from his injuries to sense there movement through the tower. Flowing through his mind was his mother's warm chest carrying him to bed after training. The love she showed him was reassuring to him in his most vulnerable of times.
Nakamura opened his eyes in slits, to tired to deal with the sun. "Good morning, Mother..." he whispered in his native tounge.
"Yo, buddy! You were all tuckered out so I brought you out."